


Windows to the Soul

by Jade_Dragoness



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Community: trope_bingo, Established Relationship, M/M, Pre-Fourth Shinobi War, Trope Bingo Amnesty, Trope Bingo Round 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 02:53:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4246737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jade_Dragoness/pseuds/Jade_Dragoness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmate AU wherein soulbonds develop through eye contact. Unbonded ninja made it a point of avoiding meeting the eyes of their enemies. In case the shinobi they were fighting turned out to be their soulmate. With the Sharingan, Kakashi didn't have that luxury. He just had to hope that if he ever faced his soulmate in combat he would have the fortitude to kill them, and kill them quickly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Windows to the Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [trope_bingo](http://trope-bingo.dreamwidth.org/) Prompt: Soul Bonding/Soulmates.

Kakashi ambled along the streets of Konoha, a brown paper bag full of groceries was tucked into his left elbow while his right hand held his latest novel. He kept his gaze locked on the book to avoid catching anyone's eyes, but also letting his chakra senses keep careful track of the ebb and flow of the pedestrians around him. He noted who was a shinobi and who wasn't, who was familiar and who was a stranger to his senses.

“Hello, Kakashi-san!”

“Good afternoon, Kakashi-sensei.”

Kakashi acknowledged the women's greetings with polite nod, keeping his eye on the novel. His sharp ears heard a disappointed sigh from one of the civilians. Even as he walked away he could hear them.

“He's unbonded, right?”

“That's what I heard.”

“How will I ever find out I'm is his soulmate if he won't even look at me.” 

“Don't take it personally. The man never looks at anyone. Anyway, he's a famous jonin. You really got to set your sights on a more realistic target.”

“That's easy for you to say. You have a bonded!”

“You know you really should consider letting that cute genin finally take you out. You're too obsessed with find a soul-bond, you know not everyone finds them.”

Kakashi tuned them out, dismissing the women's conversation. It wasn't the first time he'd overhead others discussing his lack of soulmate, especially among civilians. 

Shinobi didn't discuss the soulmate bonds.

When you turned seventeen years old, soulmate bonds became possible. Why seventeen, no one had figured it out, although the popular theory from the medical corps was that by seventeen the human brain hit a certain point of maturity, allowing for the soul-bond connection. It was subtly encouraged in Konohagakure for its shinobi to find their bonded early because such ninja were considered more emotionally stable as well as having some other benefits if the bonded could mold chakra (although among ANBU Black Ops it was more discouraged considering the high rate of mortality among its members and how often a broken bond damaged the survivor). Most Konoha ninja tried to find their soulmate among members of the village or even among the citizens of the rest of the Land of Fire. If they had a bonded then the ninja usually found them by the time they turned 20 years old. 

If you were in your late twenties and had yet to find a bonded among the members of your village or country then it wasn't likely that you ever would. 

It was a nightmare for any shinobi because it increased the chances that their bonded lived _outside_ the country. Unbonded ninja made it a point of avoiding the eyes of their enemies. In case the shinobi they were fighting turned out to be their soulmate. With the Sharingan, Kakashi didn't have that luxury. He just had to hope that if he ever faced his soulmate in combat, he would have the fortitude to kill them, and kill them quickly.

Considering how many of his generation had died in the last shinobi war, Kakashi quietly hoped that his intended soulmate had died long ago rather than having the possibility of facing them in a fight. At the darkest points of his life Kakashi even wondered if Obito or Rin were meant to be his soulmate. Not that it made a difference on how devastated he felt over their deaths. Kakashi still missed his loved ones every single day and he always would.

Kakashi finally put away his novel as he arrived home. He slipped past the front door, taking off his sandals before silently padding in. He loosed his control over his chakra presence letting it spike just enough to let his lover know he was back. 

“Welcome back!” Iruka called out, coming out of the kitchen with a smile on his face. “Did you get the ingredients I needed?”

“I got everything on the list,” Kakashi said, smiling back and pulling down his mask so Iruka could see it. For the first time all day he let his eye meet the gaze of another person. The only person whose eyes he ever wanted to gaze into but with the thoughts of a soul-bond on his mind he found himself looking away after only a couple of seconds.

Iruka took the bag of groceries and paused as he took in Kakashi's expression. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Iruka asked, his brow's furrowing in concern.

“Yeah,” Kakashi said, keeping his tone light.

“Hm, did you run into someone trying to see if they were your bonded again?”

Startled, Kakashi looked at back him. Even after a couple of years of being together it still surprised him at the ease in which Iruka could read him. Actually, it was pretty unnerving. The only reason it wasn't completely terrifying was because he trusted Iruka not to use that talent against him.

“It was just a civilian,” Kakashi explained, shrugging dismissively. 

“You know, I'm glad you don't have a soulmate,” Iruka said. 

Kakashi blinked. 

“Oh, not because I think you'll end our relationship or something like that, you know I think being bonded doesn't automatically turn it into romantic relationship.”

“Considering you grew up with Kotetsu and Izumo, I'm not surprised,” Kakashi said. The two best friends were easily the most well known example in the village that a soul-bond didn't automatically have to be a romantic bond. Soul-bonds came in every variation, from siblings bonds to parent and child to sets of three or people who honestly loathed each other but just happened to be highly compatible. It was just the romantic types which got all the attention in stories.

This was why Kakashi wasn't particularly concerned he would be dumped if Iruka should ever happen to find his bonded. Iruka had told him months ago that he loved him and the only way their relationship would end was if Kakashi wanted it to be over.

“If you had a soulmate I'd be worrying about the both of you. And between you and Naruto I already have my hands full,” Iruka said teasingly. “Then my hair would end up turning as gray as yours.”

“It's not gray,” Kakashi pouted. “It's a distinguished silver.”

Iruka chuckled and pulled Kakashi close to kiss the mole by Kakashi's mouth (which was his favorite spot although Iruka had yet to explain why considering how much Kakashi disliked his mole). He pulled back, eyed Kakashi critically before smiling again. “That's better. Now, go change out of the uniform. You're going to help me cut up these carrots.”

“You got it,” Kakashi said, smiling. And went to go change as ordered. 

End

**Author's Note:**

> This was written so quickly to make the deadline I think I nearly sprained something. So apologies for any glaring errors I failed to catch.


End file.
